“When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”
by Isaac Watts
This week we have spent time pondering scenes surrounding a rich man who came to Jesus as a “Good Teacher” seeking to know how to inherit eternal life. Jesus directed our thinking this Lent to pondering how our blessings can deceive us into thinking we are wonderful rather than drawing us to God. When Jesus challenged the man to sell his wealth, he went away sad. We like our toys and for some the goal is to get more. Blessings can lead to a feeling of entitlement and superiority. Yuch.
Isaac Watts (1674-1748) is one of the great hymn writers of old. Legend has it that as a youth he complained to his father about the boring church music. Supposedly his father challenged him, “I’d like to see you write something better!” Watts went to his room and several hours later had written this hymn. He actually wrote over 600 hymns and is dubbed by some as “the father of hymnology.” This hymn is considered his best and is still sung today. It is believed to be based on Galatians 6:14, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”
Tomorrow we will look at the cross as Jesus’s badge of authority that gave him the right to disrupt all the money changers and to disrupt our lives by asking us if our wealth is not distracting us from the cross. Please enjoy.
On the Way to Wonder 